Interim administrator focuses on priorities

Published: Tuesday, October 29, 2013 at 2:14 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, October 29, 2013 at 2:14 p.m.

SARASOTA - When Thomas Harmer arrived at the county offices Monday — half an hour early, as usual — he checked emails and prepared for his first day in charge of about 2,100 Sarasota County staff members. Then, in a series of meetings, he heard their priorities.

More than 40 of them.

The interim administrator said he will concentrate on juggling the numerous projects and operations of Sarasota County, and try not to focus on the fact that commissioners are treating his next three to six months in the top job as a test period to see if they want him to take over permanently.

Commissioners voted Tuesday to hire Harmer as interim administrator for half a year, and will evaluate his performance in three months. During that time, they will not search for anyone else to replace former County Administrator Randall Reid, who they fired last week.

Reid was administrator for less than two years, and commissioners decided to terminate him for a variety of reasons, including communications issues and low employee morale.

They immediately turned their attention to Harmer, the deputy administrator Reid hired about a year ago, who commissioners said has the business background that Reid lacked.

The commissioners agreed to increase Harmer's annual salary by $20,000 to $180,000 on Tuesday, and showered him with compliments.

"We are fortunate to have had the ability to call on you as a backup," Commissioner Nora Patterson said.

If the county did a candidate search now, Patterson told Harmer, "You probably rise to the top anyway."

Commissioner Christine Robinson said she already saw a difference in staff confidence levels, and interaction with commissioners has been boosted in the few days since Reid left.

A stream of staff members have come into her office to update her on projects she has not seen since the previous interim administrator, Terry Lewis, was here, Robinson said.

"It's a completely different atmosphere," she said, and staff members have quietly given her a thumbs-up in the hall. "I knew morale was bad but I didn't realize how bad it was until the change."

For months now, Robinson said she has turned to Harmer to resolve issues with businesses, employees and neighborhoods.

"You've been a problem solver, you've been a communicator and you've been a true leader," Robinson said at Tuesday's meeting.

Business background

Before moving to Sarasota, Harmer was senior vice president of The Pizzuti Cos. in Orlando, where he oversaw development of commercial and industrial real estate projects.

Before that, he spent 26 years in the public sector, including many positions in Titusville, on Florida's so-called space coast.

Harmer was the fire chief and emergency manager, executive director of the Community Development Agency and city manager of the approximately 43,800-person city near Cape Canaveral.

Harmer also served as an interim city manager in Titusville, after the city fired its manager. He said he learned that during a turbulent time, it's best to keep employees focused on the future and what needs to be accomplished.

Last week, commissioners called Harmer in Atlanta, where he was teaching at an International Economic Development Council event, to ask if he would be interested in the interim position. He said yes, and drafted a message to staff while he was there.

"While the future may not be clear, the need to provide great service to our citizens is now, and will always be, what is most important," Harmer wrote.

"From the front lines to support staff to the leadership of the departments, we can be most successful if we focus on getting the job done and minimizing distractions."

<p><em>SARASOTA</em> - When Thomas Harmer arrived at the county offices Monday — half an hour early, as usual — he checked emails and prepared for his first day in charge of about 2,100 Sarasota County staff members. Then, in a series of meetings, he heard their priorities.</p><p>More than 40 of them.</p><p>The interim administrator said he will concentrate on juggling the numerous projects and operations of Sarasota County, and try not to focus on the fact that commissioners are treating his next three to six months in the top job as a test period to see if they want him to take over permanently.</p><p>Commissioners voted Tuesday to hire Harmer as interim administrator for half a year, and will evaluate his performance in three months. During that time, they will not search for anyone else to replace former County Administrator Randall Reid, who they fired last week.</p><p>Reid was administrator for less than two years, and commissioners decided to terminate him for a variety of reasons, including communications issues and low employee morale. </p><p>They immediately turned their attention to Harmer, the deputy administrator Reid hired about a year ago, who commissioners said has the business background that Reid lacked.</p><p>The commissioners agreed to increase Harmer's annual salary by $20,000 to $180,000 on Tuesday, and showered him with compliments.</p><p>"We are fortunate to have had the ability to call on you as a backup," Commissioner Nora Patterson said.</p><p>If the county did a candidate search now, Patterson told Harmer, "You probably rise to the top anyway."</p><p>Commissioner Christine Robinson said she already saw a difference in staff confidence levels, and interaction with commissioners has been boosted in the few days since Reid left. </p><p>A stream of staff members have come into her office to update her on projects she has not seen since the previous interim administrator, Terry Lewis, was here, Robinson said.</p><p>"It's a completely different atmosphere," she said, and staff members have quietly given her a thumbs-up in the hall. "I knew morale was bad but I didn't realize how bad it was until the change."</p><p>For months now, Robinson said she has turned to Harmer to resolve issues with businesses, employees and neighborhoods.</p><p>"You've been a problem solver, you've been a communicator and you've been a true leader," Robinson said at Tuesday's meeting.</p><p><b>Business background</b></p><p>Before moving to Sarasota, Harmer was senior vice president of The Pizzuti Cos. in Orlando, where he oversaw development of commercial and industrial real estate projects.</p><p>Before that, he spent 26 years in the public sector, including many positions in Titusville, on Florida's so-called space coast.</p><p>Harmer was the fire chief and emergency manager, executive director of the Community Development Agency and city manager of the approximately 43,800-person city near Cape Canaveral.</p><p>Harmer also served as an interim city manager in Titusville, after the city fired its manager. He said he learned that during a turbulent time, it's best to keep employees focused on the future and what needs to be accomplished.</p><p>Last week, commissioners called Harmer in Atlanta, where he was teaching at an International Economic Development Council event, to ask if he would be interested in the interim position. He said yes, and drafted a message to staff while he was there.</p><p>"While the future may not be clear, the need to provide great service to our citizens is now, and will always be, what is most important," Harmer wrote. </p><p>"From the front lines to support staff to the leadership of the departments, we can be most successful if we focus on getting the job done and minimizing distractions."</p>